LUBBOCK, Texas– The names of five officers were revealed on plaques at the Regional Peace Officers and First Responders Memorial, on Tuesday.
The ceremony honored fallen officers from across the South Plains.
Those officer included Trooper William ‘Karl’ Keese, Yoakum County Deputy Sheriff Jason Finn, Crosby County Sheriff Jewel ‘JJ’ Pierce, Lubbock Fire Department’s Jay Watson, and Texas Tech Police Officer Floyd East Jr.
“It’s a sad occasion but it’s also a very necessary part to thank our fellow officers,’ said Carmen East, Floyd East Junior’s wife.
East was shot and killed in 2017.
Hundreds of emergency responders from Lubbock Fire and Rescue, DPS, Lubbock Police, EMS, Lubbock County Sheriff’s Department and other county’s Sheriff’s departments attended the ceremony.
The names of another 47 individuals, who already have plaques, also had their names read so they are not forgotten.
“To me, I think it makes you prideful,” said Stacey Harvey, the wife of D. Robert Harvey, a Sheriff Deputy who died while on Duty in 2009. “It lets you know they did not die in vain. They die for a cause, a purpose, and they were doing what they love.”
